Van Dyke construction complete; five lanes open to 25 Mile Road

John Hifko hopes to sell more flowers and Joe Fleming figures to wash more cars now that a project to widen Van Dyke to five lanes in Shelby Township is complete.

After nearly six months of work, along with six months of inconvenience for business owners and their customers, the one-mile stretch of highway between 24 and 25 Mile roads was opened officially Monday.

“This is a tremendous day,” said U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, who wielded the scissors for a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday. “Not just for Macomb County, but for southeast Michigan (and) our entire region … I have always said the economics follows the transportation grid. It is so important we invest in our infrastructure.”

The lion’s share of the money for the $4.5 million project, about 80 percent, came from federal transportation funds. The remaining 20 percent was split between Macomb County and Shelby Township.

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“It wasn’t just at the federal level,” said Miller, who serves on the U.S. House’s Transportation Committee. “We’ve had a fantastic partnership and great cooperation.”

Orange construction barrels still blocked the north- and south-bound lanes following the brief ceremony Monday morning, but Hoepfner said those were scheduled to be removed by the end of the day. Landscape restoration work must still be completed. About 15,000 vehicles travel through the area daily, according to county estimates.

Hifko is manager of Sam’s Florist, located on the east side of Van Dyke just south of 25 Mile Road. A sign in front of his business has informed customers for months that Sam’s is “open during road work.”Hifko said customers complained frequently about the difficulty accessing his parking lot, “especially when they were working on the driveways.”

Still, a good chunk of his business includes high school homecoming dances, and construction was ongoing during those events.

“It hasn’t been terrible every day,” he said.

About a ¼ mile south, at the $3 Car Wash he manages, Fleming said business took a substantial hit the past six months.

“Well over 50 percent,” he said.

Although the car wash remained opened, Fleming said drivers were reluctant to pay to have their cars washed and then be forced to drive through dirt and dust to return to Van Dyke.

With summer over and Van Dyke completed, Fleming expects business will return to normal. And as a driver, he welcomes the finished road.

“It’s nice that they opened it up,” he said.

The project is the second phase of work that will eventually widen Van Dyke to five lanes all the way through Shelby Township. The next phase, from 25 to 26 Mile roads, is slated for completion next year.

“Other than Gratiot (Avenue), it will be the only five-lane road (in Macomb County) that goes up to 26 Mile Road,” said Robert Hoepfner, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads.